To the reader who wrote in to Swamplot noting that Japanese restaurant Oishii at 3764 Richmond near Greenway Plaza was closed and that a large For Lease sign had been posted in front: Do not worry. Your sushi happy hour is safe. The restaurant is resting temporarily so building surgeons can give a portion of the lowslung structure at the corner of Timmons that raised eyebrow look that’s been all the strip-mall rage since about 1992. The restaurant closed down December 19th, and is scheduled to reopen January 10th.
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Photos: Aaron Carpenter
Oishii takes a break at the end of December every year, and every year someone panics about it closing. People who freak out either don’t read the note on the door or aren’t paying attention. That place is a freaking goldmine – there’s always a line out the door. It’s not going anywhere.
Tried to go last night … In the few minutes I was there, it was hilarious the number of cars that pulled into the parking lot with looks of shock on their faces.
hallelujah!! went by on n.y.e. to start off with a delicious dinner only to hear everyone in the car gasp and scream “NO!!”
thank you for the update!
Maybe one day they’ll make it bigger. They certainly have the best quality sushi to price ratio in town.
In response to Eric, the reason the reader (my husband — I was also in the car and spotted the condition of the restaurant first) wrote in was because at the time NO sign was up (the photo above now shows a small banner), the entire facade had been torn down, and a demolition-size dumpster was in front, along with a giant For Lease sign. It looked pretty dang ominous. We know all about their annual closing, as we’ve faced that note on the door before. This looked nothing like their normal annual vacation closing.
I hoped it meant they were building out to create a little more room. Oh well! At least it doesn’t mean they’ve gone out of business!
This place is not at good as Todai. Todai is not too high and all you can eat. About the same quality and variety.
But it is a much easier walk from Greenway Plaza than Todai, which I’m guessing is a major factor in its popularity.
oh, good, I’ve started to get annoyed at my lack of miso soup a few yards from my office. :P